No Help at All

Daily Reading: John 6

Scripture Focus: It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe. … And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 6:63-65)

Devotional Thought: Many of Jesus' followers grew disgusted with his teachings and turned away from following him. Why? They had a “flesh perspective." The flesh, however, is no help at all.

The disciples who stayed believed him. They believed that he had the words of eternal life, and they knew that he was the Holy One of God. The reason they stayed? Because the Spirit was already at work in their hearts, revealing the spiritual things that they could not dream of comprehending in their own power. Later in John 14, Jesus tells his followers of his plan for them: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.”

The gospel is foolishness to those who have not experienced a movement of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. When we witness to those around us, we must always start with prayer – prayer that the Spirit would provide that person with a spiritual understanding that is impossible to achieve in the flesh. “The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned,” (1 Cor. 2:14).

We will never convince unbelievers of the truth of the gospel in our own power, but we can combat spiritual deafness by pleading with the Spirit to work in the hearts of the lost. And be encouraged, for as Jesus said in verse 40 of this chapter, “It is my Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life...” The flesh is no help, but the Spirit gives life!

Jenny

Prayer: Lord, we know that without you, we cannot accomplish the Great Commission – to spread the gospel message and make disciples of all nations. We pray for an outpouring of your Spirit in the lives of those who need to hear the Good News, and we ask that you give us opportunities to speak the truth with boldness.

Psalm of the Day: 15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. 16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. 21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (Psalms 34:15-22)